ATHLETICS: Griffins are growing

Father McGivney adds more varsity sports

Father McGivney athletic director Jeff Oller poses in the school’s weight room, which opened last summer. FMCHS continues to add to the list of sports that it offers.

Father McGivney athletic director Jeff Oller poses in the school’s weight room, which opened last summer. FMCHS continues to add to the list of sports that it offers.

ATHLETICS: Griffins are growing

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GLEN CARBON — The athletic program at Father McGivney High School continues to grow.

During the 2017-18 school year, the Griffins competed in their third varsity season in boys’ and girls’ soccer, while boys’ and girls’ basketball finished their second varsity season.

The school year also marked the debut of baseball and boys’ volleyball on the underclassman level.

“It was definitely a step forward for a lot of different programs,” said FMCHS athletic director Jeff Oller, who is also the girls’ basketball coach. “Some of the programs that we already had continued to show improvement and girls’ volleyball added a freshman team.

“Baseball had two teams -- we played a fresh-soph schedule and a junior varsity schedule. We added track and we went to varsity in a few different sports, which is kind of our plan for next year too.”

Father McGivney’s enrollment for the 2018-19 school year is expected to be over 200, which will be the largest to date.

This year’s graduating class, which was the third in school history, had 36 students.

“We have a lot of kids that want to play more than one sport and that’s what we need at a school this size,” Oller said.

This spring, Father McGivney’s inaugural track team and field team had a state qualifier on the boys’ side in junior Elijah Burns, who competed in the 3,200-meter run at the Class 1A state meet on May 26 in Charleston.

For its first season, the boys’ track and field team competed only in track events, but coach Jim Helton hopes to add field events by next season.

Last fall, FMCHS fielded its first varsity squad for boys’ cross country. The Griffins qualified for the sectional with a third-place finish in the Class 1A Effingham St. Anthony Regional and freshman Ross Bushur qualified for the state meet as an individual.

The FMCHS boys’ volleyball team played a junior varsity schedule this spring under the guidance of Amanda Pirih, who is also the girls’ volleyball coach. The boys will compete on the varsity level next year and hope to have a JV team as well.

Father McGivney’s first-year baseball team, coached by Paul Johnes, had a surprisingly successful season on the junior varsity level with an 11-1 record, including several wins against varsity opponents.

The baseball team will also compete on the varsity level in 2019.

The addition of a freshman team for girls’ volleyball last fall made it the first sport at Father McGivney to field teams at all three levels.

The girls’ volleyball team also earned the first tournament title in program history, winning the championship at the McCluer North Invitational.

The FMCHS boys’ soccer team, meanwhile, had a 13-10 record and reached the Class 1A regional final, where it lost to Alton Marquette.

During the winter, Father McGivney’s boys’ basketball team was 8-21 in its second varsity season after winning only two games in its first season.

The FMCHS girls’ basketball team posted a 10-15 record, opening the season by winning the Dupo Cat Classic for the first tournament championship in program history.

The school is still looking for its first regional championship in a team sport.

“It’s gradual and you can’t cheat the process,” Oller said. “It takes time, but we have a great coaching staff and the interest of the school and the kids is helping us advance at a great pace.”

In March, FMCHS announced that it has been accepted as a member of the Prairie State Conference. Father McGivney will start competing in the conference during the 2018-19 school year.

For fall sports, FMCHS will be a conference member in boys’ soccer, girls’ volleyball, boys’ golf and boys’ and girls’ cross country.

In the winter, FMCHS will compete on a conference level in boys’ and girls’ basketball, as well as scholastic bowl.

In the spring, Father McGivney will play a conference schedule in baseball, girls’ soccer and boys’ and girls’ track and field.

Father McGivney is looking at adding boys’ and girls’ swimming, which would be for individual competitors.

“Softball is something that is begin discussed, but we’ve got to have the numbers and the interest,” Oller said. “Whenever these kids want to do something, we want to provide an opportunity if it’s possible.”